Samuel m



(No Model.)

s. M. JACOBS.

RAILROAD RAIL.

No. 369,858. i Patented Sept. 13, 1887.

INVBNTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

N, PETERs Phm tima m her. Washington. 0,0.

Uuiren STATES ATENT rrrcn.

SAMUEL M. JACOBS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAILROAD-RAIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,858, datedEieptember 13, 1887.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. JACOBS, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Railroad-Rail, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to railroad-rails designed more particularly forstreetrailways, the rails of which should be about level with thepavement or roadway to avoid obstructing the wheels of ordinaryvehicles, and the invention has for its object to provide a rail of thisclass which forms an efficient guide to peripherally toothed or flangedcarwheels, and by its construction, in connection with the travel of thewheels on the rails, is practically self-clearing of dirt.

The invention consists in certain novel fea tures of construction of therailroad-rail, as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference'indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a side view of part of a railroadrail made in accordancewith my invention and a car-wheel on the rail, to show the adaptation ofthe wheel to the rail. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional viewtaken on the line a; m, Fig. 1, and side view of part of the car-wheelaxle. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a part of a straight rail, and Fig. 4 isa plan view of parts of two crossing-rails.

The railAis formed withacontinuous lengthwise groove, B, in its upperface, whereby two side surfaces, 6 b, are provided-one at each side ofthe groove-for the peripheral faces or treads c c of the car-wheel (J torun upon, while a series of peripheral teeth or spurs, D, on thecar-wheel run in the groove B. These teeth or spurs D lift dirt from therail-groove and carry the dirt around upward and throw it from thequicker traveling or moving upper part of the wheel and clear of therail, and the teeth also break up ice or frozen substances lodging inthe groove and dispose of them in like manner.

The groove B, preferably, has a downward taper from each side toaccommodate the laterally-tapering shape of the wheel-teeth D;

but the inclines of the walls of the slot vary from the angles of theteeth to give the teeth ample clearance room in the slot while allowingthe tread of the wheel a fair hearing on the surfaces 0 c of the rail.

At intervals along the rail its under side is cut away to provideopenings E, which, when the rail is inclosed at the sides by thepavement, form pockets into which dust and dirt may fall from therail-groove B, which opens at 6 into each of the pockets, and wherebythe travel of the wheel on the rail will force the dirt or trash, orsome of it, directly through the throats 6 into the pockets E below, andthereby keep the slot clear, which result is rendered more certain andeffective by the operation of the wheel-teeth in picking up the dirt andthrowing it from the rail, as above.

described.

Another feature of construction of the rail is the formation of theupper parts of the side walls of the groove B vertical, or nearly so,for a half-inch or more below the upper faces of the rail to formshoulders I) 1), within which straight shoulders or portions (1 d, atopposite lateral faces of the car-wheel teeth D, next the tread of thewheel, may run as lateral guides to the wheel to prevent its derailment.

The rail has holes G, through which spikes will be driven to secure itto sleepers or ties forming the rail-support in the road-bed.

In so far as the construction of the rail is concerned, it is immaterialwhether the carwheel has a series of peripheral teeth running in therail-groove or a continuous peripheral flange running in the groove, aswill readily be understood.

I make no claim herein to the particular construction of the car-wheel,as it forms the subject matter of another application for patent filedof even date herewith.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A railroad-rail made with a lengthwise groove and openings atintervals through the rail at the base of the groove, substantially asherein set forth.

2. A railroad-rail made with a lengthwise groove in its upper surfaceand with lower or IOO bottom recesses at intervals, and into which ets Eat the bottom of the rail, and slots (2, the groove opens, substantiallyas shown and opening from the rail-groove to' the pockets, described.substantially as shown and described.

3. A railroad-rail, Aymade with a length- SAMUEL M. JACOBS. 5 wise slot,B, having shoulders I) b, next the Vitnesses:

head of the rail and tapered from the shoul- O. SEDGWIOK, ders to thebase of the slot, openings or pock- E. M. CLARK.

